To Faraway Times
by Kyronea
Summary: When Twilight attempts to research the origins of the Elements of Harmony, an ancient device accidentally scatters her friends and the Elements through time. Now she and Spike must adventure to rescue them and return history to the way it used to be.
1. Chapter 1

Forward

My name is Twilight Sparkle...as I write this, my friends and I, the spirits of the Elements of Harmony, are preparing for the most difficult battle of our lives, a battle for the fate of the world and all of ponykind. I'm writing because our story deserves to be told, because ponies everywhere deserve to know what has happened. If we succeed, everypony can know what we've done for them. If we fail...then at least everypony can prepare for what is to come. But I'm getting ahead of myself. I suppose I should start where and when this all began...

* * *

><p>To Faraway Times<p>

Chapter One

June 1st, 1501 Y.E.

"Spike...Spike!"

The baby dragon rubbed his eyes and let out a giant yawn. "Twilight?" His eyes drooped.

I prodded him gently with my hoof. "Come on, Spike, wake up! It's already nine o'clock."

He grumbled incoherently, shifting his posture and resting his head back down upon his pillow.

_ Oh for Pete's sake. _"Spike, I need you up right now! Don't you want to see Rarity?"

His eyes shot open. "Rarity? Where?"

_Gotcha. _"She's going to be here in just a few minutes. We're headed out today, remember? And you," I said, poking him in the chest, "still need to get things ready for me."

Spike exploded into a frenzy of activity. "Don't worry, Twilight, I've got everything under control!"

"Don't forget the sleeping bag!" I said as I trotted downstairs into the main room of the library. I breathed in, savouring the musty smell of books piled high on the shelves all around me. I awoke to this smell every morning, and it never failed to make me smile.

A light rapping at the door interrupted my reverie. "Come on in," I said.

The door cracked open and in slunk a butter yellow Pegasus, hiding her face in her mane, saddlebags jostling at her sides. "Oh, hello Twilight..." she mumbled. She plopped down on her haunches next to one of the bookshelves and gave me a slight grin.

"Hiya, Fluttershy! You're a bit early."

Her grin widened. "Oh, yes, I made sure to get up extra early this morning so I could see to all my animals, and make sure Cheerilee was ready to take over for me." Fluttershy's grin vanished. "Are you sure we're going to be gone all night?"

"Probably," I said with a shrug. "It'll depend on what we find." My friend blinked at me quizzically. "I'll explain when-"

The next thing I knew, I was on the floor, almost crushed beneath the weight of the pink Earth Pony gripping me in an enthusiastic hug. "Hi Twilight!" she cheered with a smile that nearly split her muzzle in half.

I grimaced. "Pinkie, ya mind getting off?"

"Oh, sorry!" She hopped off. "I'm just so excited to see you again! You were in Canterlot for waaaay too long!" As if in afterthought, she waved a hoof at Fluttershy.

I used a nearby table to help myself to my hooves. "It was only a few days."

"A few days? A few days?" Pinkie Pie shook her head vigorously, nearly spilling the contents of her saddlebags all over the floor. I caught a whiff of baked goods. "It was way longer than that. More like a week!"

"Okay, fine, a week," I said, rolling my eyes and eliciting another giggle from Fluttershy. "Did you at least bring what I asked you to?"

"Uh huh!" Pinkie chortled. "I packed so many goodies, you wouldn't believe how many goodies I've got!" She gasped. "Oh, I almost forgot!" Pinkie tucked her head into her saddlebags and withdrew a book that had somehow stayed pristine despite the food surrounding it. She set it on the table. "I finished the book you lent me! It was so fun and awesome and I just loved it and can't wait to read the next one!"

"Pinkie?" Fluttershy spoke up. "You read books?"

"Oh I read all the time! Just ask Twilight!"

Fluttershy favoured me with a disbelieving look. "It's true. Pinkie, I think the next one is in the back...room..."I trailed off as Pinkie bounced away in a flash.

Spike lumbered down the stairs, cradling my saddlebags in his arms, barely able to keep from collapsing under their weight. "I got the stuff together," he groaned.

I lifted the saddlebags with my magic and set them on my back. "Thanks, Spike."

"Hello?" asked a cultured voice from outside. The owner of the voice, a Unicorn, poked her head in through the door, smiling from underneath a lime green sunhat. "Twilight, may I come in?"

Before I could say anything, Spike was at the door, beaming and fluttering his eyes. "Of course, Lady Rarity! Can I take your bags? Get you something to drink? Maybe something to eat?"

"No, no, Spike, that's quite all right, but thank you," Rarity said as she trotted in with her usual elegance and flair, flashing Fluttershy and me a radiant smile. "Hello, Twilight, so very good to see you again! I do hope you'll fill us in on all the juicy details from your trip."

"Not till Applejack and Rainbow Dash get here," I said while I adjusted the strap to my saddlebags, making sure it was just right.

Rarity pouted. "Oh, but Twilight..."

_Oh please. _"I said no, Rarity, and I meant it. I don't want to have to explain myself more than once."

"Hmph!" Rarity flicked one of her immaculately coiffed curls with her hoof.

"Howdy, girls!" said an orange Earth Pony, bursting into the library. She tipped her Stetson in my general direction.  
>My Unicorn friend smiled warmly at the farmmare. "Applejack, hello! Is Rainbow Dash with you?"<p>

Applejack frowned. "Well I thought she was right behind me..."

"INCOMING!"

I ducked down as the last of my friends flew far too fast into the room, somehow coming to a stop before slamming into a bookshelf. She blew her rainbow-colored mane out of her face and waved a wing at me. "Sorry I'm late, Twi!" she said.

Fluttershy smiled. "Oh hi, Rainbow Dash!"

"Oooh, is everypony here now?" said Pinkie Pie, bouncing back in.

Applejack said, "Sure looks like it."

I cleared my throat. "Spike, would you please go get the chest?"

Spike broke away from his admiring of Rarity to give me a look of confusion. "What chest?"

I glared at him. "_The_ chest_, _Spike. The one I brought from Canterlot?"

He snapped a claw. "Oh, right! Back in a sec!" He zoomed up the stairs.

Rarity pursed her muzzle at me quizzically. "What chest, Twilight?"

"You'll see."

Spike emerged from upstairs, carrying a large ornate chest decorated with glittering gemstones arranged like a five sided star surrounding the lock on the chest. I couldn't help but chuckle when my friends gasped in recognition.

"Twilight, are those..."

I smirked. "Yep! The Elements of Harmony!"

"But what the hay are they doing here?" Rainbow Dash exclaimed, gesturing wildly with her hooves. "I thought the Princess was keeping them locked up after our battle with Discord!"

"They're the reason I was in Canterlot," I said, taking the chest with my magic and opening it, revealing the Elements inside. "I've been doing some research on them recently."

Fluttershy said, "What kind of research?"

"Trying to figure out where they came from, their history, their origins, stuff like that, basically." I passed out the necklaces to their owners. My own Element, the Element of Magic, was a golden tiara topped with a magenta gemstone that resembled my Cutie Mark. I placed gently on my head. As always when I wore the Element, it tingled where it touched my skin, sensations coursing through my body as if I'd just downed a gallon of coffee. I giggled a little from the rush of power.

"Ya mean the Princess didn't know?" Applejack asked.

I took a moment to compose myself, then answered, "No, actually. Princess Celestia said that she and Princess Luna found them where we did, that old castle in the Everfree Forest. After they used the Elements against Discord, and after Princess Celestia was forced to use them against Nightmare Moon, she put them back. She said something about not feeling worthy of them after having fought her own sister." I frowned deeply. "I don't think she was being completely honest with me, though."

"What do you mean?" asked Spike.

I sighed and gestured with my hoof. "It's...I'm not sure. It just didn't feel like she was telling me everything when I asked her...I don't know if she was lying, or just leaving out information, but whichever it was, I know I didn't get the whole truth."

"Oh come now, Twilight, you can't seriously believe the Princess would lie to you," Rarity said with a warm smile.

_It'd hardly be the first time. _I flashed Rarity a cheeky grin. "No, I guess not."

"Okay, so I get the research thing," Rainbow Dash said, "but what's that got to do with us?"

My eyes twinkled. "Well, after my audience with the Princess, I did some digging in the Canterlot archives to find out more about that old castle. Turns out it used to be part of an old Earth Pony nation-state centered around modern-day Hoofington about two thousand years ago. About seventeen hundred years ago or so, it was destroyed in some kind of accident. I had to piece this together from a lot of different books, but it seems that whatever the accident was, it ended up turning the whole area wild, transforming it into the Everfree Forest we know today."

"But what about the Elements?" Fluttershy asked.

"That's just it...there wasn't anything about them. Even Princess Celestia said she didn't know why they were there...she went looking for them there because she 'felt' them with her magic."

"Then where did the Reference Guide to the Elements of Harmony come from?" said Pinkie with a giggle. "I mean, _somepony _had to've written it, right?"

"Yeah, about that..." I let out a dry chuckle. "That was actually written by Princess Celestia herself, under a pen name. I got more information out of her than I did out of that book." _Not that I got much out of her either..._

Rainbow Dash snorted. "Uh, Twilight? You didn't answer my question. What does any of this have to do with _us?_"

"I'm getting to that!" I said, stomping my hoof on the floor for emphasis. "Ahem. After I finished with the archives, I asked the Princess if I could arrange an expedition into the Everfree Forest with some of Canterlot University's history department, to perform an archaeological dig on the site.

"But," I added with a smirk, "she suggested I take you guys with me instead, along with the Elements themselves. She thinks we'd have a better chance of finding something if we have the Elements along, and I agreed." My grin spread across my muzzle. "Doesn't this sound exciting?" Spike slapped a paw to his face.

"Oh, er, uh..." Rainbow Dash said, scratching behind her ears with a hoof. "Sure, Twilight...sounds like...fun..."

"Yes...lots and lotsa fun..." Applejack added with a smile so cheesy and fake I felt like I could have written three shelves worth of Rarity's trashy romance novels with it.

"But, Twilight, the Everfree Forest is really dangerous," Fluttershy said, pawing at the floor.

"Not to mention dirty!" Rarity added with a pout. "If I'd known we were going to venture in there, I'd have worn something a little more practical."

Pinkie Pie snorted and threw up a hoof. "Oh, come on, you guys, this'll be fun! We're gonna poke around a dark and dusty castle." She bounced in place. "Who knows what we'll find!" she said with a wink.

"That's the spirit!" I said, patting Pinkie on the back with my hoof. "And don't worry, Fluttershy. The Everfree isn't nearly as dangerous during the day, and we've got the Elements. We'll be fine."

"If you say so..." Fluttershy mumbled.

Applejack blew out a puff of air. "Well, all right then, Twi. If you wanna do this, then I'm in."

Rainbow Dash let out her own sigh and added, "Yeah, guess I'm in too. I'm not gonna leaving you hanging."

I looked at Rarity. "What?" she said. "Of course I'm coming along. You don't even have to ask."

I clopped my forehooves together in glee. "Great! Then let's get going. We've got no time to waste!"

In my haste, I threw open the door, and heard a loud thump and a cry of pain. _Uh-oh. _I stepped around the door, to see a little Pegasus filly laying on her rump, rubbing a bruise on her head. "Oh, jeez, are you okay, Scootaloo?"

Scootaloo shook her head and winced. "Yeah, I'm okay," she said with a laugh.

"What were you doing at the door anyway?" Spike asked as he stepped out, followed by the rest of my friends.

A cocky grin appeared on the filly's face. "I wanted to talk to Rainbow Dash, of course! I was waitin' outside for her." Her grin intensified when she saw her idol. "Heya Rainbow Dash! Wow, that's an _awesome _necklace! What's it for?"

Rainbow Dash scooped Scootaloo up and ruffled her hair playfully. "Sorry squirt, but I don't got time to talk today."

The little filly's face scrunched up. "Aww...why?"

"I'm helpin' Twi with stuff in the Everfree Forest." Dash set the little filly down on her hooves. "I won't be back till tomorrow, prolly."

Scootaloo's lower lip quivered. "Do ya think maybe I could come along?" She stomped once at the ground. "Oooh, or maybe I could go get Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom and we can-"

"No!" Rarity and Applejack interrupted with frantic and furious gestures.

Applejack added, "It's not going to be all that fun or interestin'."

"Yes," said Rarity, "I'd rather Sweetie Belle stay in town, where it's safe."

With pleading eyes, Scootaloo begged me, "Come on, please, Twilight? I'm so bored!"

I shook my head. "I'm sorry, Scootaloo, but no. Even if we weren't going into the Everfree Forest, I'm not about to just take you along on a trip that might end up going overnight. At least not without speaking to your parents first."

Scootaloo puffed out a disgusted sigh. "Yeah, fat lot a good that'd do you," she mumbled. Fluttershy stroked the little filly's mane gingerly.

"Aw, don't be sad, Scoots!" Pinkie Pie said, hopping about. "I'm sure you can still have fun with the other Crusaders!"

"Fun with my friends, huh?" Scootaloo grimaced, holding her chin in her forehoof. Then with a sudden burst she leapt into the air, her grimace replaced by ecstatic glee. "Of course! I know what to do now! Oh Apple Bloom! Sweetie Belle!" Her cries echoed in the distance as she cantered away as fast her hooves would take her.

I shared a confused look with the others. "What was that about?" Spike asked.

"I dunno," Applejack answered, "but I'm thinkin' we should keep an eye out while we're walking. You know, in case she's thinkin' of following us or something like that."

Rainbow Dash laughed derisively. "Oh come on, Applejack, she wouldn't do that!" The weather pony paused for a moment, the merriment vanishing from her face. "Would she?"

* * *

><p>Despite our worries, the journey through the forest was uneventful. After the first hour, when we caught not a peep from any pursuer, we gave up on our lookout, instead enjoying idle chit-chat and a number of Pinkie's sing-alongs. The forest for its part remained aloof and mysterious, quiet in the daytime without hint nor sign of any wildlife apart from the occasional bird. As the sun poured down directly overhead, we finally reached the gorge that separated us from where the castle lay. We paused to take in the view.<p>

A massive crack in the earth, the gorge hid its own secrets beneath a cloud of dense fog, wisps wafting up in the breeze. What could be seen of its cliffs were like the sharp jagged teeth of a manticore, eager to rip and tear. A rickety bridge covered in rotting planks of ancient wood rocked back and forth precariously on threadbare ropes.

_ Oh dear sweet Sun in the sky..._ I thought with a loud gulp.

"Woah..." said Spike, mouth agape. "This is so _cool!" _

"If you think this is grand, Spike, wait until you see the castle!" said Rarity with a friendly wink. "Rainbow Dash, would you be a dear and watch us as we cross? We wouldn't want to fall."

"Sure thing!" answered the weathermare, swooping away in a spiralling arc, settling just below the bridge, flapping to keep aloft.

We started to cross, one at a time, first Pinkie, then Fluttershy, then Spike. But as Applejack stepped onto the bridge, I heard an odd sound from a nearby bush. "Wait a sec, AJ," I said.

I stepped carefully over to the bush, my horn aglow with magic, a Shielding Spell prepared. As I neared the bush, the sounds I heard grew louder, then ceased as my hoof rested atop the leaves. I took in a breath, then pushed down the bush, and gasped.

Instead of a monster or some spooked woodland creature, I found three little fillies, each with a massive abashed look on their faces. "Oh, uh, hi Twilight!" said Scootaloo, her voice cracking a little with the strained cheerful tone she forced into it.

I felt my mane frizz a little, a hair or two popping out of place. "I don't believe this!" I shouted.

"Sweetie Belle?" said Rarity. She strode over and glared, her eyes steely and cold. "What are you doing here?"

"Hehe...surprise?" squeaked Sweetie Belle.

"And how in tarnation did you three manage to sneak by us?" snarled Applejack.

Apple Bloom flashed the farmmare a cheeky grin. "We've been practicin', sis! Ya see, Scootaloo told us all about how she ran inta you guys, and yer necklaces!"

Sweetie Belle added, "Scootaloo might not have known what they were, but we sure did!"

"And since we've been bored out of our skulls thanks to summer break," said Scootaloo, pantomiming vomiting, "I figured we could try and earn our Cutie Marks in a new way, by being..."

"CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS NINJAS!" the three exclaimed in unison, nearly shattering my eardrums.

"Horseapples!" Applejack spat. "I know you three and I know you're not sneaky at all!"

"Crude as she may be, Applejack has a point," Rarity added. "You've never been all that subtle."

Apple Bloom snorted. "I just told you that we've been practicin', didn't I?"

"Woah, woah, hold up!" shouted Rainbow Dash, flapping over and settling to the ground next to Scootaloo. "You actually snuck by us? All of us?" To my dismay, Rainbow Dash's muzzle burst into a wide smile. "That's awesome!"

"Rainbow!" Applejack chided, aiming eyes ablaze with anger at the weathermare.

"AJ, pal, lighten up a bit, wouldja?" said Rainbow, elbowing the farmmare playfully in the chest. "It's not like they got hurt or anything."

Rarity harrumphed. "That's not the point and you know it!" Her gaze on Sweetie Belle intensified, causing the little Unicorn to shrink down as if attempting to hide. "We will be going straight home!"

"Oh, no!" I finally spoke up, feeling my mane tangle and frizzle again. "Nuh-uh! I am _not _wasting quality research time just because these three decided to be nuisances!"

Applejack groaned, rolling her eyes. "Then what're we going to do with them, Twi?"

I sighed. "Spike!"

Spike arrived, carried by Fluttershy. "Oh dear," mumbled the Pegasus.

With a paw resting firmly on his face, the dragon asked, "Yes, Twilight?"

"You," I said, pushing him in front of the Crusaders with my hooves, "are going to keep a very, _very _close eye on them. I don't want them out of your sight for a second, got it?"

Spike glowered at the fillies, all three hunched down in shame. "Sure," he grumbled.

"And as for you three," I said, turning my attention to the Crusaders, "I expect you to help out. If you're going to be here with us, you might as well pitch in."

"You will be getting a stern talking to when we get home, Sweetie Belle," added Rarity.

Applejack shot a final glare at her little sister. "And I'm sure Granny Smith's gonna want to tan your hide," she threatened, causing Apple Bloom to whimper.

Rarity, Applejack, and I stared at Rainbow Dash expectantly. With a sigh, she said, "I'll make sure Scoots is punished too."

"Aw man..." Scootaloo groused.

Pinkie Pie bounced over, grinning widely. "Oh goody, all that nasty yelling is over. Come on, everypony! Let's get to exploring!"

We crossed the bridge without incident and strode up to the ruins of the castle. It was a massive structure, towering over the forest, made of ageing, decrepit stone, vines snaking all over it like they were trying to pull it down into the dirt, trees growing atop parts of the foundation. At the front of the ruin lay an stone staircase, cracked and broken but still standing solid. Two enormous oaken doors, splintered and creaky with age, guarded the way. They opened easily with an application of magic.

The interior was dominated by a single cavernous room, shaped like a large oval, with barred half-oval windows all along the wall, their glass long since shattered into dust. Though intricately carved pillars stood all around the room, the roof they had once held had vanished some time ago. Sunlight poured down, illuminating the dust scattered everywhere. At the center of the room lay a stone pedestal that towered far over our heads, made from carved granite worn down by time, with six stone spokes upon which the Elements of Harmony had once laid, as dormant stone spheres. On the far side of the room, we could see through the window a tower with a large spiralling stone staircase, that led up to the room where my friends and I had faced down and defeated Nightmare Moon.

"Spread out, everyone," I ordered, waving with my hoof around the room. "We're going to be here awhile. Be careful with what you touch!"

"Um, Twilight, what are we looking for?" Fluttershy inquired, hovering nearby, stirring up dust with the slow flap of her wings.

I coughed, summoning up my magic to banish most of the nearby dust elsewhere. "Basically? Anything odd or interesting, like writings or paintings, or anything else that might shed some light on the history of this place."

Fluttershy giggled. "You mean, like this?" She waved a hoof at the massive pedestal.

I withdrew a pencil and notebook from my saddlebags. "Yes, but I was already going to look at it myself. Actually," I added, "can you poke around at the top of it, see if there's anything written up there?"

She glanced down at me, worry darkening her face. "Are you sure it's safe?"

I gestured distractedly, already busy sketching the pedestal in my notebook. "Yeah yeah, it'll be fine."

"Okay then...if you say so..."

I tuned out everything around me, focusing. As I sketched, I examined the pedestal closely, looking for anything out of place, any sort of clue. After a few moments, I spotted an odd protrusion near the base, along a pattern of boxy white lines. Without thinking, I reached forward and pushed it in, triggering a loud _click._

The entire castle started rumbling and shaking, dust blowing everywhere, everypony screaming or gasping. I backed away from the pedestal as fast as my hooves would take me.

"Twilight!" Fluttershy shrieked, flapping with all her might to escape the now mobile pedestal. "What'd you do?"

I stammered incoherently, too busy watching the pedestal shift backwards with an ear-piercing whine as ancient machinery struggled, grinding stone against stone, aching for every foot of distance. The pedestal suddenly stopped, the rumbling ceasing.

"Everypony okay?" asked Applejack, who I could see out the corner of my eye cradling Apple Bloom closely. I heard a chorus of affirmations, and gave my own mumbled one.

I moved over to where the pedestal once stood. In the floor a gaping maw of a hole revealed a marble staircase. Once polished, gleaming, covered in what I assume was a beautifully embroidered carpet, it now stood barren, cracked, covered in only the barest hints of threads.

Scootaloo gaped in astonishment. "Where's it go?"

"I'm not sure," I said, snatching up my fallen journal and placing it back in my saddlebags. "Nothing I read in Canterlot said anything about secret passages."

"Oooh, let's go down, let's go down!" Pinkie Pie said, bouncing over and hopping in place gleefully.

"B-b-but is it...safe?" asked a quivering Fluttershy, her eyes covered by her hooves.

"Only one way to find out!" declared Rainbow Dash.

"Right," I said, brushing off the remaining dust. "Stay close and be careful. I have no idea how stable this staircase is." I stepped up to the edge of the hole and placed one hoof down gently on the top stair, testing my weight on the marble. It held firm. With a nod to the others, I started making my way down, lighting our way with my horn.

The staircase wound and weaved in circles, the walls around us made of carved granite lined with more of the polished marble, a tunnel that kept out any dirt or debris apart from a thin layer of dust. The further down we went, the more preserved the staircase became. When we reached the bottom, the plush rug reappeared in full splendour, now clearly a rich burgundy lined with golden tassels. The staircase emptied us out into a small room where a lone door made from carved mahogany, painted a beautiful periwinkle blue barred the way. Upon it lay a symbol, a five pointed star, painted silver, surrounded by a spiral of red flames.

"Oh my gosh," I gasped.

"What? What is it?" Apple Bloom said, shoving her way forward and poking her head around. "I wanna see!"

I couldn't help but hop up and down with glee. "That's Starswirl the Bearded's symbol!"I said.

"Who?"

I groaned. "Starswirl the Bearded!" Blank looks met me. "The stallion I dressed up as for Nightmare Night?"

"Oh, you mean the clown!" Pinkie Pie said, giggling.

"No, he—ugh, never mind. Look, the point is, this place was probably built by him, if his symbol is on the door."

"Does that mean he might've had something to do with making the Elements of Harmony?" asked Rarity.

I frowned and rubbed my chin with my hoof. "I suppose it's possible. According to the history books, Starswirl the Bearded lived at around the same time the castle was destroyed, but he didn't live anywhere near this area. He was the High Mage of Destriacus, a Unicorn kingdom far to the east." I prodded my head to try to force myself to remember more facts. "But, late in his life, he withdrew into seclusion, and then vanished. I guess he could have come here and built a home in secret...but why?"

"Well what are we waiting for?" asked Rainbow Dash as she shoved her way forward and took the handle of the door in her mouth. "Lesh gfo!" With a grunt, she pulled the door open, and we stepped inside.

The first thing I noticed was the _lack_ of an overwhelming amount of dust and debris; despite the many centuries that had surely passed since Starswirl last lived here, the place looked as if it had been abandoned only yesterday. Even the air smelled as fresh as the air in the forest above. The room we had entered was a foyer, decorated with paintings of various landscapes, covering walls of more marble. Three hallways, one directly ahead, two to either side led off to several other rooms. A saddle rack stood in one corner, with not one saddle but four, including two that looked far too small to be worn by a stallion. Next to the saddle rack, a complex pentacle was inscribed on the floor. Even without using a Sensing Spell, I could feel the magic radiating off the symbol in waves, like heat from a roasting bonfire.

"Okay, everypony, spread out in teams of two," I ordered. "Pinkie, you're with me. Spike, stay with the Crusaders. And everyone? Be very careful with what you touch. There are enchantments all over the place and we don't want the air supply cut off or something."

"That can happen?" Fluttershy screamed, curling into a ball.

Rainbow Dash slapped her on the back with her foreleg. "Relax, Fluttershy. Jeez."

I smiled in what I hoped would be taken as comforting. "No, don't worry. If something like that happens, I'll be able to fix it." _Maybe. _

Fluttershy whimpered, "Okay..."

"Oooh, what're we gonna look at first, Twilight?" Pinkie asked as everyone started heading in different directions.

"Erm...this way," I said, heading down the central corridor. Like everywhere else in Starswirl's home, the walls were made of marble, lined with various paintings. Not too far down, it split into three hallways: the one on the right was barren, empty, ending in a blank wall, covered by a thin tapestry depicting a scene from Destriacan history. The center led into a large kitchen and accompanying dining area, which I ignored. The one on the left ended in a black oak door with a simple label in silver lettering, written in an older Equestrian dialect, that said "Library."

"In here, Pinkie," I said, pushing the door open. My mouth fell open in shock as I beheld the room. It was far larger than I would have expected, with shelves lining every wall going up fifty feet or more, filled to the brim with books of all kinds. Stepladders for easy access lay along the shelves on rails. A massive desk carved from pine stood dead center, several books and scrolls laying atop it, an inkwell knocked over, long dried ink splattered all over every surface.

"Uh, Twilight?" Pinkie spoke up with a giggle. "You're drooling."

I slammed my muzzle shut, a fiery blush warming my cheeks.

Pinkie bounced over to the desk. "Are we gonna read the books? Oooh, which one do I read first?"

"No, wait," I said, shaking my head. "These books are too old. We need to handle them delicately, which isn't exactly your strong suit, Pinkie."

Pinkie's face scrunched up in a rather pathetic looking pout. "Aww."

I patted her on the shoulder. "Just stay close and try to read over my shoulder, okay?" She nodded sorrowfully. "Okie dokie lokie."

I examined the desk more closely. Upon it, three large tomes rested underneath a note that read 'For Cadence.' "Cadence?" I pondered. "Who the heck is Cadence?"

"Not anypony I've ever heard of," Pinkie answered.

Setting the note aside, I cast a spell upon the first tome, to get a feel for how sensitive it was to age. To my surprise, and my relief, the tome glowed a dull orange, signifying a strong protective enchantment, one powerful enough to keep it safe from both the elements and the forces of ageing.

I popped open the cover and began to read. "The Basics of Battle Magic...by Clover the Clever?"

"Ooh, wasn't that the character you played for the Hearth's Warming Eve Pageant?" Pinkie said.

I raised an eyebrow. "Yes," I answered. _Though I had no idea he really existed. I always thought he was fictional. _

I read on, skimming the contents. Within, the book contained lurid descriptions of how to cast roasting fireballs, chilling ice, electrifying bolts, and a vast number of other spells designed to kill or maim, all based around what a Unicorn's special talent might grant them access to. "Wow," Pinkie murmured upon hearing the descriptions, her face turning an odd shade of green.

I said, "I know. You can't really find books like these anymore in Equestria. They're all locked up deep in the royal archives where even _I _have a hard time getting access." I smiled wistfully. "The price of peace."

We read through the other two books together. The second, like the first, was authored by Clover the Clever, a tome on advanced battle magic that built upon the lessons learned in the first. The third, however, was one I had seen before in Canterlot, "The Art of Healing," by Aloe Heart, a valuable manual of healing magic that still formed the basis of medical knowledge in modern Equestria.

I slipped the other two books into my bags next to the first. At Pinkie's newly inquiring glance, I said, "I'm just going to make sure they get put in the royal archives."

Pinkie shrugged. "If you say so, Twilight."

I turned my attention to the other object on the desk, a sheet of vellum that appeared to be a journal entry, mostly covered by the splattered ink. I read what I could make out:

_Journal Entry, June 26__th__, -_

_ Today will-final te- though Cadence is worried I might b-fast with -a want to watch the ex-The -y still needs its enchant-rea-st-and yet, I think that-im-don't want to ris-but I-_

"Oh, Twilight, there you are!"

"What?" I grumbled, glaring up at Rarity, who was standing at the front of the desk, an object of some sort hovering around her glowing horn.

Rarity pouted. "I'm sorry, Twilight, but I thought you'd want to take a look at this." She hovered the object closer so I could take hold with my own magic.

It was a long, slender rod about a foot long, made of polished obsidian, with two carved wings jutting out near the top, surrounding a spherical gemstone, iridescent and shining with every color of the rainbow. "It's a focusing rod," I said, using the Sensing Spell on it. The gem laid dormant. "Doesn't seem to be keyed to anything though." _Is this what Starswirl mentioned in his journal?_

Rarity flipped her curled hair with a hoof. "I know that much, Twilight. It's the gem I was pointing out. Is it what I think it is?"

I peered closer at the rainbow gem. "Wait a minute...Rarity, this isn't just any kind of gem. This is Dreamstone!"

"That's what I thought!" Rarity beamed.

Pinkie looked back and forth between me and the rod. "What's Dreamstone?"

Rarity trembled with excitement. "It's rare and priceless, beautiful beyond measure. I've only ever seen it in books until now!"

I added, "Dreamstone is precious for its ability to channel powerful magic. Thousands of years ago it was as common as other gemstones, but over time the natural reserves were drained dry. Even in Starswirl's time Dreamstone was almost impossible to obtain." I stared at the rod. "This is getting weirder by the minute. What was so important that he needed to make a Dreamstone focusing rod for?"

Pinkie glanced up at the ceiling quizzically. "Maybe it was to protect whoever Cadence was?"

I gestured at Rarity with the rod. "Where did you find this?"

"It was in a big lab," said Applejack, trotting in, glaring daggers at the alabaster Unicorn. "I told Rarity not to touch it, but you know her and gems."

I slipped the rod into my saddlebags. "Show me this lab. I need to take a closer look at what Starswirl was researching be-"

"TWILIGHT!" came a sudden shout from outside as the entire room started shaking, books falling off the shelves. Rainbow Dash galloped into the room, her whole body shaking from her laboured breathing. "Follow me, quick!"

"What'd you do?" I inquired as we galloped after the weathermare. The scent of smoke filled the air as we hurtled down the hall towards the foyer. I gasped, barely able to breathe past the choking cloud that obscured my vision, unbidden tears streaming down my face.

"I didn't do anything!" Dash exclaimed. She lead us down another corridor, lined with several rooms I didn't have time to examine. "Fluttershy and I were checking out these bedrooms, when we heard this click at the wall! It opened up and we heard screams, from Spike and the kids!" We stepped into the room at the end of the hall. On the far wall was an opening halfway covered by another tapestry. "Fluttershy went to check it out and I came to get you!"

"Oh Heavens to Betsy, is Apple Bloom okay?" Applejack cried.

"And Sweetie Belle, what about Sweetie Belle?" pleaded Rarity.

Rainbow Dash flailed her wings, slowing down to a trot due to the cramped nature of the secret passage. "I don't know!"

Pinkie cried out, "Fluttershy! Can you hear us?"

"In here, Pinkie!"

We emerged from the secret passage into an antechamber adjourning a large laboratory. Fluttershy, the Crusaders, and Spike huddled together, holding on for dear life while smoke swirled and puffed in circles into the lab at incredible speeds. A bizarre hum buzzed in the room beyond, echoing against the walls. I braced myself on a nearby table, feeling drawn in by the same force that suckled on the smoke.

"What's happening?" Rarity shrieked, clambering against a nearby wall and gripping onto a hanging piece of wood. Applejack clung to Rarity's hind legs, Pinkie to Applejack's.

Spike, seeing me, let go of Fluttershy and gripped onto my legs instead, almost sinking his claws into my flesh. "It was them!" he said, pointing an accusing claw at the Crusaders. "They touched something in there!"

The humming grew louder, the force drawing on us stronger. "What did you touch? Describe it!" I shouted.

"I didn't mean ta do it!" Apple Bloom cried desperately, her voice trembling and shaking. "We just found our way inside, and there was this bright and shiny thing layin' on a table, and I touched it! It started makin' all kinds of weird noises!"

"Then what happened?"

Sweetie Belle answered, "We tried to run away, but it was pulling us in!"

"Twilight!" Scootaloo pleaded. "Can you turn it off?"

I peered into the lab, trying to see past all the smoke, but I couldn't make anything out except for a swirling pattern of light. Growling in frustration, I attempted to banish the smoke with my magic. The smoke scattered, and my jaw dropped open. "What is that thing?"

We beheld a massive tear, as if the air itself had been ripped open, revealing a cascade of colors whirling around a central funnel, infinitely deep, behind which I could see nothing but a chaotic swarm of light. The vortex hovered over a glowing pedestal formed, like the rod, from obsidian with many Dreamstone gems sunk into its structure. As I watched it, the tear grew ever larger, drawing smoke within like a twisted version of a cotton candy spinner.

"Twilight, do something!" Pinkie Pie shouted.

"I don't know how to stop it!" I screamed. "I don't even know what it is!"

"Twilight, if you don't do something now, we're all dead!" Rainbow Dash cried, the hums from the vortex ramping up in volume, becoming an ear shattering squeal.

_Oh no oh no oh no...Think, Twilight! THINK!_

"I've got it!" I said, withdrawing the focusing rod from my saddlebags. "Girls, I think we can use this and the Elements of Harmony to stabilize it!"

"You sure that's gonna work, Twi?" yelled Applejack.

"No, but do you have any better ideas?"

"Just do it!" Scootaloo ordered.

"Hurry!" added Sweetie Belle.

With as much magical force as I could bring to bear, I summoned up a force shield, just large enough to buy us the time we needed to focus. The Crusaders gripped together more tightly, while Spike hopped up onto my back and clung with all his might to my neck.

"Together, girls, on three!" I concentrated deeply on the Element of Magic, summoning up its powers. "One...two...three!"

The Elements of Harmony glowed as bright as the sun, drawing my friends and I up into the air into bubbles of magic, hovering in place as the energies gathered within swirled into a rainbow of light that I directed through the Dreamstone Rod into the vortex.

The vortex imploded into a sphere of light that erupted with tendrils of energy lashing out everywhere, scorching the walls, before it exploded into a new even more powerful vortex. I could only watch, horrified, as the three little fillies were sucked into it, screaming in panic until their cries were snuffed out.

"No!" I howled.

The magics of the Elements sheered under the strain. Fluttershy's was the first to shatter, the Element of Kindness ripped from her neck and swallowed up by the gaping maw of the vortex, with my friend following so fast she didn't even have time to scream. Pinkie Pie's broke next, then Rarity, then Applejack, and finally Rainbow Dash, all hurtled in while I was forced to watch, unable to act, unable to save my friends.

My own bubble finally burst. I thought I saw the Element of Magic zip in at the last moment, before finally the vortex collapsed. One last tendril of energy hurtled our way, surging through mine and Spike's body, painful beyond belief. The color fled from my sight until everything went black, and then...

Nothing.

* * *

><p>Author's Note: I want to thank Jamusio EMP and Rainbow Sparkle both for pre-reading, as well as thanking Jamusio EMP for his contribution of the name Destriacus.<p> 


	2. Chapter 2

To Faraway Times

Chapter Two

June 1st, 1501 Y.E.

I awoke with a start, my head pounding furiously as if under assault by a stampede of buffalo. My skin tingled and burned where the bolt had treated me like a lightning rod. The scent of singed fur and flesh hung low in the air. I hacked and wheezed, trying to breathe in what little oxygen was left. The air had become far too thin, and whatever lighting enchantments cast upon the home had vanished, turning the room pitch black. "Hello?" I choked out, my voice quivering. "Anypony? Spike?"

No answer. I ignited my horn, casting a dull glow over the area, revealing dust everywhere and Spike, laying next to me, eyes closed, a few scales along his body scorched. "Spike? Spike, wake up!" He didn't move. _Okay, don't panic! _I told myself, desperate to fight off the fear already gripping me. _He's probably just asleep! You know how he is! _

I struggled to my hooves, my whole body shaking from the effort. "Oh jeez," I moaned, almost collapsing back onto my stomach. "...can't think!" My eyes squeezed shut. "Gotta...gotta remember that spell...how did it go?" My mind searched, scanning words and phrases and misplaced pieces of spells fading in and out, until finally I seized upon the crucial fragment. I stomped my hoof, scattering more dust. "Right. That's how!"

With a burst of magic from my horn and a little popping noise that had me giggling in my giddy state, a little sphere of barely visible blue light formed around my head. It coalesced into a bubble of sweet, delicious oxygen. I breathed in deeply. "Much better," I said, my voice tinny and echoing. My head still ached terribly, and those burns itched and stung, but at least I could breathe!

I cast the spell for Spike's benefit as well, hoping the extra oxygen would awaken him. "Spike?" I said, prodding him gently in the back with my hoof. "Spike, please wake up."

He groaned softly, stirring, sending a pulse of happiness through me. "What happened?" he mumbled, holding a paw to his head.

I couldn't help myself: I wrapped him up and held him close in a firm hug. "Oh thank goodness!"

He squinted up at me and winced. "Mind turning it down a notch?" he pleaded.

I laughed, mostly in relief. "Sorry."

"So what happened anyway?" Spike reiterated, scratching his ruffle of spines.

My face fell, happiness replaced by sorrow. "I don't know, Spike. Everypony's just...gone! Oooh!" I stamped my hoof on the ground hard, almost chipping it. "It doesn't make any sense! What _was _that thing? Where did they go?" I hissed, more from the increase in head pain my yelling caused me than anger.

"Twilight, please," Spike said with a grimace. "Calm it down, will ya?"

I mentally kicked myself. _He's right, you know,_ nattered my conscience. _Cool it. _"Sorry," i reiterated, my face glum. "I'm just so confused. And my head hurts." I rubbed my temple softly in the hopes it would help ease the pain. It didn't.

"You're not the only one whose head hurts," my dragon friend grumbled. He shook his head in a fast, almost painful to watch motion. "And what's with the air bubble anyway? Feels like that trip to the lake all over again."

I felt nauseated as the memories of that failed experiment flooded my mind. Banishing the unwanted images, I answered, "The air was too thin. I had to do _something _to keep us breathing." _Actually, now that I think about it, it's a wonder I ever woke up! _I shivered, though not from cold.

He rolled his eyes. "Great, as if we didn't have enough problems." Looking about the room, he blew out a massive, exasperated sigh. "Gosh this place is a mess."

I cast about the room, taking a deep long look at everything. On the floor, the Dreamstone Rod laid flat amongst a pile of dust, the gem twinkling in my horn-light. The obsidian pedestal stood dark, all light faded. Nearby, tables and shelves were scattered everywhere, knocked on their sides and upside down and every other which way, mostly barren of contents. The few books I saw had covers so tattered and worn I feared they would collapse into dust if I so much as sneezed on them. The weirdest thing, however, was the floor and walls. Around us, in a circle approximately five or so feet in diameter, the floor remained polished, high quality marble. Outside the circle, though, the floor and walls were cracked, broken, worn down by time, just as I would have expected from the buried home when we first came in. _What the heck? _I thought, feeling rather baffled. "Spike, did the room look like this earlier?"

Spike stared at the piles of dust near the shelves. "No. There were lots of books, and scrolls, and other stuff all over the place!" He scratched his ruffles. "I mean, a bunch of it was knocked around when that big swirly thing got turned on, but that wouldn't make everything look so...old!"

I heard a little voice in the back of my mind cry out, begging to let me panic. I shoved the voice back down where it belonged. _No. No panic. _"Okay, let's think this through," I said, more for my own benefit than Spike's. "We need to figure out what that portal thingie was, why it was here, and where it took our friends."

Spike gulped. "Are you sure it took them anywhere? What if they're-"

"_No!" _I glowered at him with all the intensity of a blazing bonfire. "They were taken somewhere. I don't know where, or how, or why, but they're somewhere. They have to be!" I didn't even want to think about the...other possibility.

"All right, all right!" said Spike, shame plastered all over his face. "Then where did they go?"

I bit off the nasty retort that came to mind, instead answering, "That's what we're going to find out."

I approached the obsidian pedestal and examined it closely. As I had observed before, it contained within its structure a number of Dreamstone gems, similar to the one on the rod. They were scattered in seemingly random places, with no real indicator for why they had been placed where they were. Apart from a single raised hexagon carved onto a button, there was no writing of any sort. "Darn it, Starswirl," I whispered, "why couldn't you have made this easy?"

Spike said, "What was that?"

I waved a hoof dismissively. "Nothing. Spike, was this the button Apple Bloom pushed?"

The dragon waddled up to the pedestal and stared at the button. "Yeah, I think so. I didn't really get a good look at before." He gaped at me. "Wait, Twilight, you're not going to push it, are you?"

I hunched down, bracing myself. "I don't see any other options. Better hold onto me, Spike." I waited for Spike to clamber on my back and grip onto my mane, then, my foreleg shaking a bit from nervousness, I pushed the button.

Nothing happened. I pressed the button again, and again. Nothing. Whatever magic the pedestal had within was gone. A light once-over with a Sensing Spell confirmed it. "Well that was a bust," I grumbled.

Spike hopped down and glared up at me, arms folded over his chest. "Now what?"

"Good question," I mumbled, too busy thinking to form a more eloquent response. _Wait, what about the rod? _I thought.

The rod still lay on the floor. Picking it up with my magic, I peered closely at its gem. The stone sparkled a little in my horn-light, and deep within I thought I could see the faintest hint of something within, spinning. "Spike," I said, hovering the rod closer to the baby dragon, "does the gem on this rod look like it's glowing to you?"

Spike peered at the gem, his eyes twinkling with desire. Saliva leaked from his mouth as he answered, "It looks delicious is what it looks like!"

"Spike!" I admonished, seizing the rod away before he could snatch it. "I'm serious!"

He snorted. "What? I'm hungry! We haven't eaten since breakfast."

I smacked a hoof to my face and groaned. "We can eat later, Spike! Right now we need to focus."

Throwing his arms up in disgust, he said, "All right, fine. Jeez. And yeah, the gem was glowing."

"Thought so." I examined the rod more closely with a Sensing Spell. With the aid of the spell, I could see clearly a swirling pattern of energy, a mixture of every color of the rainbow surrounding a central vortex, just like the portal from before. _But what does this mean? _I asked myself, even more confused now. _Did the Elements of Harmony enchant the rod? To do what? _

Not sure of what else to do, I decided to further probe the rod, to see if I could get it to activate its new enchantment. I spent maybe ten minutes peppering it with various spells, ignoring Spike's protests and questions. Nothing I cast accomplished anything. The rod sat there in the air, refusing to open its secrets to me.

"Gah!" I finally shouted, shoving the rod in my saddlebags where I didn't have to see it. "This isn't helping anything!"

"I coulda told you that," Spike muttered. "Where'd you get that thing from anyway?"

With a hiss of frustration, I replied, "Applejack said she and Rarity found it in a lab of some kind." I stamped my hoof in realization, peering down right into Spike's eyes. "Wait, Spike, did Rarity ever come into this room?"

Spike shook his head. "Nope. I didn't see her until after that weirdo device was switched on."

I smiled in satisfaction. "Then that lab must be somewhere else. I'll bet you we'll find some answers there. Come on!" I turned and faced the wall where we had come in, preparing to move, but stopped when I saw no exit. "Uh, where'd the door go?"

"Over here, Twilight," Spike called from across the room, at an opposing wall. He tapped one claw into the stone, triggering a mechanism. The secret door groaned and squealed with effort, making me cringe, pain swelling in my head to new heights. _Note to self: read through that book on healing magic for some kind of pain relief spell later. _

Finally the door ceased its awful noises. "Sorry about that!" Spike said as we walked into the passageway. "It didn't do that last time."

"Never woulda guessed," I said dryly.

We emerged from the passageway into the corridor near the library, the one I had assumed was empty. Like the portal room, every surface was cracked, lined with wear and tear of age, debris scattered everywhere, completely unlike what it had been before. It filled me with a sense of dread, and made that little voice in my head cry out again for panic.

"Spike," I said, holding up my foreleg in his way, "hold on a minute. I want to check the library."

Spike followed me down the corridor. "There's a library?"

My mouth creased into a worried frown. "Yes. A big one. I hope it's still intact."

We came to the door, a decrepit broken down piece of wood. It refused to budge, requiring an application of magic to force it from its hinges. After resting the remnants of the door against a nearby wall, I stepped slowly through the doorway, expecting to find a disaster. I was right.

Instead of the neatly lined shelves I had seen before, we found piles of dust amongst broken and scattered remains of shelves. What few intact tomes I spotted amongst the debris looked too delicate for me to touch. A few tears came unbidden to my eyes, glistening and falling to the floor, little droplets of sorrow in a home that had become a silent tomb. "Come on, Spike," I said, my voice shaking. "Let's just get out of here."

"But what about the lab?" Spike asked as we made our way towards the foyer.

"Forget the lab!" I growled. "We'd probably just do more harm than good. We need a real forensics team, not the two of us breaking everything."I bit down the urge to add my suspicions that there wasn't anything to find.

Spike rested a paw on my side. "Are you okay, Twi?"

"No! No, I am not okay!" I glowered at him. "I'm injured, you're injured, we both nearly got ourselves killed, our friends are who knows where, the Elements of Harmony are lost, and we somehow turned the biggest archeological find in the last century into a complete mess!" I took a moment to catch my breath. "Princess Celestia will probably lock me in a dungeon for life after this..."

My dragon friend attempted a smile. "Ah come on, Twilight, it's not going to be that bad. I'm sure the Princess'll understand!"

"Will she, Spike? Will she?" I shook my head sorrowfully. "I don't think so. Not this time. Not with the Elements of Harmony gone."

My mind filled with images of me, locked within the coldest, darkest dungeon in all of Equestria. A stone prison, with just the barest hint of light from little torches mounted in sconces. I'd probably have to subsist on meek little slices of barely baked bread and cups of tepid water. No books. No friends. Nothing but the cell, locked away in isolation for all eternity...

Spike snapped his claws in my face. "Twilight! Stop daydreaming!"

I blinked and shook my head to compose myself. "Right, right, sorry."

We stepped into the foyer. Unlike the rest of the home, one of its aspects, the inscribed pentacle, was intact and functioning. I couldn't quite be sure what its purpose was, since it obviously wasn't to preserve the place, but it was still there, still warm with magic. It made me smile a little, seeing it. _That's a good sign, _I thought.

Like the library door, I needed to force the entryway door off its hinges in order for us to pass. "There," I said, setting the door aside.

"Uh, Twilight, I think we have a bit of a problem."

I groaned. "What is it now?" Spike pointed beyond the doorway.

The stairwell we had traversed was now blocked by collapsed stone and earth, far too much for us to move. My heart sank. I slunk over to a nearby wall and rested my head on it, enjoying the cool sensation of the stone rubbing against my snout. "Wonderful," I muttered, in lieu of the massive string of profanity running through my head, not to mention the voice with its question of _Is it panic time yet?_

Spike patted me on the shoulder and said, "Can't you just teleport us out?"

"Through a couple hundred feet of solid rock?" I scoffed. "I don't think so."  
>"Okay, then there has to be some other way out of here, right?"<p>

I jerked away from the wall, knocking over Spike in the process. "That pentacle!" I shouted.

"What about it?" Spike asked, following me as I trotted back into the foyer.

"Starswirl the Bearded was an old stallion, Spike," I answered. "He wouldn't have wanted to walk those stairs every time he wanted to visit the surface. So if I'm right..." I prodded the pentacle with my trusty Sensing Spell. It glowed cherry red, exactly as I hoped it would. "Ah-hah!"

"What? What?"

"Climb on, Spike," I ordered, stepping onto the center of the pentacle. "We've got our ticket out of here."

Spike hopped up onto my back and gripped my mane. "Is this going to work?"

_If it doesn't, we're out of options. _"Hold on tight. This might be bumpy." With a burst of magic, I willed the pentacle to activate.

A pillar of crimson light engulfed us, and we were outside, standing atop the pedestal that had once born the Elements. I levitated us down to the floor of the castle. "See?" I said happily. "No problem!"

"Yeah, sure..." Spike answered weakly. He toppled off my back into a heap on the stone floor, his face greener than usual.

I rested a hoof onto him. "You okay?"

"Just gimme a sec..."

With a laugh, I settled down onto my rump and banished the air bubbles, now that we could breathe normal air. The forest air tasted warm and moist, much warmer than it had been earlier, even though it was nearing three o'clock in the afternoon. Like everything else I'd noticed since we awoke, it made little sense, but I wasn't in much of a mood to question it.

Spike sauntered over and poked at my saddlebags. "Think we can eat now, Twi? I'm starving!"

_That was fast. _My stomach chose that moment to rumble. "Sure, why not?" I said. "I can use the time to write my letter to the Princess anyway."

Whooping joyfully, Spike dug his way through and picked out a few choice vegetables and fruits. He picked a spot nearby and started chowing down. I chose a simple apple and chewed at it absent-mindedly as I jotted down a letter. I explained in detail everything that had occurred, with apologies aplenty for my thoughtlessness in losing the Elements.

After I finished the letter, I set it aside and pulled out "The Art of Healing." Skimming its contents, I quickly located a number of useful, basic healing spells. To my dismay, none of the pain relieving spells came without side effects such as dulling my mind. I didn't want to lose my ability to focus, not now, so I settled for a spell that would heal the burns.

I cast it, moaning softly as it worked its magic, providing soothing relief. It would take several days for my coat to grow back, but at least my skin was healed. And the food had helped my headache a little, shrinking it down to a dull ache.

With that finished, I called Spike over. "Here," I said, placing the letter in his paw. "Go ahead and send it. We need to get moving." I stood, stuffing the book back in my bag.

"Sure thing, Twi," said Spike. I watched him hold the letter up to his mouth and unleash a gout of flame, waiting for the smoke to take flight and soar away. The flames licked the letter, consuming it into ash...which fell to the floor, cinders scattered everywhere.

My mouth fell open, incoherent squeaks pouring out. "Spike!" I exclaimed when I found my voice. "Please tell me you just burned the letter instead of sending it. _Please."_

My dragon friend waved his paws at me frantically. "No, no! I sent it! I'm sure I did!"

The headache came roaring back, flooding waves of pain. I rested a hoof on my temple. "Then why didn't it go anywhere?"

Spike shrugged. "Don't look at me."

_Okay, okay, settle down, _I told myself. _This has to make sense somehow, right? Maybe it's just the Everfree's magic messing with Spike's ability! Or maybe some kind of after effect __from that portal thingie! _My mane frizzled, a hair or two popping out of place. _Or maybe something really terrible has happened and the Princess is...no! _I shoved that last morbid thought out, upset with myself for even daring to think it!

A paw waved in front of my eyes. "Twilight?"

I gritted my teeth, took in a breath, then forced a smile. "Right, everything's fine, Spike! Nothing to worry about."

Spike stared. "Are you sure?"

I slapped him on the back. "Positive! We'll just send another letter when we get home. No biggie!"

My dragon friend muttered something under his breath I couldn't catch. "What was that?" I asked.

"Nothing! Can we go home now?"

* * *

><p>Several hours passed as we travelled the forest, noting more changes. The bridge at the gorge? Gone. We levitated over the gorge instead. The cool waters of the calm river? Replaced by a thunderous cascade of white water far too violent to cross, requiring us to go around, adding an hour to our trip. Still, at least the sun shone bright and happy, easing my worry. It's not as if the sun could move on it's own, right?<p>

We breached the outer edges of the forest around seven o'clock, the low hanging sun dipping near the edges of the mountains on the horizon, casting long, low shadows everywhere. But my attention wasn't on the sun, oh no. My attention locked firmly onto what Spike and I saw before us, an impossibility, something that just couldn't have been there, but was! "Twilight," Spike stammered, gripping at my coat, "since when does Ponyville have a wall?"

Wall was an understatement. In front of us, maybe two hundred feet away, we beheld a massive fortification encircling the town, at least twenty feet high, constructed from solid stone, smooth as a baby's bottom. Atop the wall, spaced every hundred feet or so lay towers, staffed by soldiers dressed in barding stuffed to the brim with elaborate colors and patterns. Their weapons—weapons! In Ponyville!—were metal tubes with wooden stocks, bearing some faint similarity to the ancient hoof cannons I'd studied in the history books, Some of the soldiers controlled terrifying looking artillery pieces, long and glistening pieces of shaped steel set atop two massive wheels for easy aiming and movement. Though the towers were roofed, I could see mechanisms that would allow the roof to move away so the soldiers could fire up into the sky. Floating far above I spotted a number of balloons hovering in mid air, tethered to the ground with dangling ropes thick as tree trunks. While I couldn't be sure, I thought I saw little glimmers of light bouncing off of binoculars set into the side of the baskets. Further ahead, just barely visible above the center of the town, a massive airship cast its shadow, the hull lined with dozens of cannon ports. But most bizarre? Everypony I spotted, either on the wall itself, in one of the towers, or in the balloons, was an Earth Pony. Not a single Pegasus or Unicorn to be found.

The tendrils of panic slipped into my mind once again, grasping me like icy claws raking my body. "What in Celestia's name?" I said in a near shout, not really cognizant of the words spilling out of my muzzle. "No, no, no, this doesn't make sense, there's no way what we did in the forest could have affected Ponyville! Unless..." A single possibility swam into my mind, one straight out of a cheesy pulp science fiction magazine, the kind that littered the Shelf of Shame in the library, right next to the bit a dozen romance novels.

Spike's grip on my fur tightened painfully. "What? What is it?"

_No! _I furiously shook my head and forcibly shoved the notion into as deep a pit in my mind as I could picture. "Forget I said anything, Spike. It's impossible."

"Hey!" came a loud yell from the wall, though the distance made it barely audible. A patrolling soldier look in our direction through the glint of a pair of binoculars. "Is somepony out there?"

I gasped in fright. Seizing Spike by his tail and ignoring his yelp of protest, I fled back into the cover of the forest. "Twilight, what the heck?" Spike inquired once we were safely behind some trees.

"Did you _see _what those ponies were carrying?" I spat back in a quiet but intense whisper. "I'm not getting near them!"

Spike peered back at the wall surrounding Ponyville. "I don't think we have much of a choice. Look!"

I poked my head between the trees and whimpered, "Oh darn it!" Several armed soldiers cantered our way, pointing their weapons in all directions, searching. I withdrew before they could spot me.

"What're we going to do?" said Spike, scratching his claws together in an odd little nervous dance.

"Hide!" I snatched Spike's tail again and dove into some nearby bushes, cradling Spike as close to me as I could manage. "Don't make a sound," I ordered, stuffing a hoof into his mouth to make sure he obeyed. He nodded silently.

I lay still and quiet, listening, the leaves over my face too thick for me to see anything through. The thunderous clop of many hooves echoed, then died down. Seconds ticked away like years, every little sound of rustling leaves or branches snapping filling me with new shivers of terror. More than once I heard what sounded like a knife slicing through the nearby bushes. _Just go away, _I pleaded in my mind. _Please, just go away..._

"Sergeant," I heard a husky sounding mare's voice speak, the sudden noise almost making me cry out. "You sure you saw somepony?"

"Sure I'm sure, Lieutenant," answered a deeper voice, the voice of a stallion. "One of those horned freaks, with a little lizard."

I heard a loud thud and a cry of pain. "Damn it, Sergeant!" cursed the Lieutenant. "Why didn't you say that before? If I'd known we had a Unicorn out here..."

"L.T.!" shouted a third voice, the cracking, squeaky voice of a colt barely turned stallion. "I gots me a Magic Detector right here, if ya need it!"

_A what? _

"Thank you, Private. At least one of you has their head on straight." After a moment I heard the click of a knob turning and the lowest of hums vibrating in the air. My horn vibrated right along with the sound, dull and throbbing. _Oh no oh no oh no..._

The hum grew louder as I heard the Lieutenant step closer to the bush I hid within. My horn shook, the vibrations building up till I felt like it would explode!

And then it died away, the humming ceasing, the acrid scent of burning silicon filling the air. "Little piece of crap," the Lieutenant muttered. I heard another thud and then a smashing noise.

"Aww, L.T., didja have ta step on it?"

"Stuff it, Private. Maybe if you maintained your equipment better, it wouldn't have broke on me."

I heard a hoarse laugh come from the Sergeant, then another smack. "Shut up!" More sounds of rustling, then, "That Unicorn's prolly long gone by now. Move your flanks back to base!" Hooves clopped as the three soldiers galloped away, fading into the distance.

I let go of the breath I'd been holding in for far too long. "Are they gone?" Spike whispered.

Tentatively, I poked my head up out of the bush and peered around. "Yeah," I answered. "They're gone."

Spike spilled out of the bush and hopped to his feet, brushing off leaves. "Thank goodness!" he said. "What the hay was that all about?"

_What _was _that all about? _I asked myself. _Racist ponies? What's next? Is the Moon going to explode?_

The little voice in my head shrieked, _Panic time! Panic time! _

I had to admit, it was tempting. Just give in to the panic, to the fear, scream my head off, run around in circles, maybe dive into a pond or something, anything to try and get away from just how insane this day had been. But I couldn't. I shouldn't. I _wouldn't. _Spike depended upon me. So did my friends and those three little fillies, wherever they'd ended up. I had to keep a cool head and figure this whole mess out, one way or another.

_And you already know what the answer is, _prodded my mind. The possibility I'd dismissed drifted back in, waving, beckoning. "I think I might know, Spike," I said.

Spike smiled up at me. "Great! Tell me."

I swallowed and pawed at the ground a bit, gathering my thoughts. "Does the phrase time travel mean anything to you?"

For a moment, Spike stared up at me, his face scrunching in confusion, and then he burst out laughing. I glared as he rolled around on the ground, shaking with mirth. Finally he stopped and wiped a tear away from his eye. "That's a good one, Twilight! Pfft. Time travel..."

I groaned. "Spike, I'm serious!"

"Oh come on, Twilight!" Spike said, gesturing with his paws. "That's ridiculous. Time travel isn't possible. You've said it yourself plenty of times! Remember when Pinkie Pie was telling that story about how she went to the future, and you said she was on—"

"Darn it, Spike," I interrupted, "I know what I said, but I can't think of anything else to explain what's been going on!" I pointed in the direction of the town. "Look at Ponyville, Spike. The walls, those ponies, what they said. The river, the gorge, the ruins of Starswirl's home, none of it makes any sense unless you and I travelled through time!"

Spike said, "But how? That...err...that whatever that thing was?"

I nodded. "Yes, the portal, Spike."

"But we didn't go through it! The others did."

I started to reply, then stopped. Spike had a point. We _didn't _go through the portal. "No, " I answered, "but it did zap us with some kinda energy. Maybe that was enough?"

"Or maybe you're cracking, Twilight!"

I sputtered, "Excuse me?"

Spike pointed a claw at my face. "You heard me. You've been acting out of it since we woke up! I know you, Twilight. You've been crazy like this before. I'm not gonna let you go nuts again with your weird theories and wild explanations that make no sense!"

I hissed, a vein just under my horn throbbing. "Spike," I said with a tone of warning, "that's a bit uncalled for, don't you think?"

He winced at my tone. "I'm just watching out for you, okay? This's been a rough day. For both of us."

"Tell me about it," I murmured, heaving a sigh. "Okay, so maybe I'm reaching a little. But like I said, Spike, I can't think of any other explanation. At least not without some more information! We need to go into town."

"Woah, wait a minute!" Spike shook his head furiously. "That's not a good idea. You heard what they said. They called you a...a..." he stammered. "Anyway, they'll probably lock us up! Or worse!

"I know that!" I scolded. "Believe me, I'm not in any hurry to end up in a dungeon. But it's almost dark." I gestured at the fading sun. "Unless you want to camp out in the Everfree..."

"No way!" Spike stepped forward, peering at the fortified wall through the trees. "But how're we gonna get in? We can't just walk up to the gate."

"Sure we can!" I said with a smile. "At least, if we're disguised."

Spike snorted. "How? Magic? Uh, Twilight, in case you weren't paying attention, they got some kinda magic detecting thing."

_Was kinda hard not to notice that, Spike. _"We're not going to use illusions. It's me, Spike, remember? I can transmogrify us. I can turn myself into an Earth Pony for a few hours, and you...err...maybe a dog?"

The dragon almost vomited. "What? No!"

I rolled my eyes. "All right, fine, how about a colt, then?"

"You can do that?" he stammered, eyes wide as saucers.

"If I can turn mice into horses, Spike," I answered with a smile, "I think I can turn you into an Earth Pony. You'll have to act the part, though."

He preened and flashed me a smirk. "Oh sure, no sweat Twi."

I waved for him to follow me. "This way, then. We don't want to be seen."

I trotted deeper into the forest till we couldn't see the town, then a little more just to be safe. "Okay, stand still, Spike," I ordered. "This is going to be tricky."

The dragon stood as still as a mountain, not budging a muscle. _Good._ My eyes closed as I concentrated deeply to recall how to cast the spell, then unleashed a torrent of magical energy from my horn, swallowing up Spike in a bath of lavender light. I cringed from the loud popping noises and Spike's own whines as his bones and muscles rearranged themselves in way no body parts should ever move. A chiming filled the air as the magic worked until finally the light faded, and I relaxed, feeling more than a little drained.

Spike stood before me, staring down at his forehooves. Amusingly, his coat and mane remained the same colors as his scales and ruffle, a rich purple and an almost florescent green respectively. No Cutie Mark, but given his small size that was easily explained away. "You could've warned me it'd hurt so much," Spike murmured.

I winced. "Sorry, Spike. I didn't know."

"S'okay." Spike continued to stare at his hooves. "These are weird! How can you hold anything without claws?"

Giggling, I said, "Carefully. Make sure you stay on all fours, Spike. You're not going to be able to walk around on your hind legs."

A blush flooded his cheeks as he fell onto his forehooves, standing properly like a pony should. "That better?"

"Much."

I floated my saddlebags onto the ground, not wanting them to get in the way of my spell. "Once I cast this," I said, "it'll last a few hours. I'll have no access to magic either."

Spike raised a hoof to his muzzle. "Then how do we switch back?"

I smiled wanly. "Suddenly. With no warning. We'll have to get back out before then, unless you want to try running for it."

"Not really. What's the plan once we get to the gate?"

I frowned, thinking. "I'll think up a story. Just play along and if they ask you any questions, back up what I say, okay?" He nodded. "Once we're inside, we'll try to find the library, if it's still around. If not, a newspaper stand, or a magazine stand or something like that." _Or a bar, _I added mentally, though I really didn't want to have to stoop so low if I didn't have to.

"Sounds good to me," Spike said, clapping a hoof to my shoulder.

"Right then. Stand back."

For the second time I summoned up my magic, this time to surround me. The light burst around me like a blazing fire, crackling and popping in my ears. It burned like fire too, soaking in beneath my skin, shifting and twisting, whisking away my horn and the blood vessels in my forehead, replaced with smooth skin. My skeleton shifted as well, reshaping, strengthening as extra muscle and sinew grew to reinforce and change. Fortunately, the transformation was over before I had the chance to scream.

I collapsed into a heap. "Oh jeez..."

Spike was at my side in an instant, nuzzling against me. "Need some help up?"

I shook my head. My smooth, blank head devoid of a horn. I felt...smaller, diminished somehow, without access to its magic. "I'm fine," I answered, climbing shakily up to my hooves, bracing against my dragon-turned-colt friend. Shuddering from the lingering tingle of the magic, I stepped over to my saddlebags and lifted them onto my back with my mouth. It felt strange, bizarre to be lifting anything without levitating it.

After several moments of struggle, my bags were set. "This way, Spike," I said. "We'd better hurry. We're on the clock."

* * *

><p>We made our way west, sticking to the edges of the forest till we came to the road out of town, thankfully still right where I remembered it. Guided by the starlight, we followed road lstraight up to a massive gate, formed out of stone and barred by a wooden portcullis. Oil lanterns hung on hooks to either side of the gate, casting soft light. Several guards stood watch in front of the gate, eyes fixed on us, weapons raised as we sauntered up. <em>Stay cool, natural, <em>I told myself. _We're all Earth Ponies here. _

Now that I could see the soldiers clearly, I took a moment to observe them closely. The barding shone a dazzling combination of royal blue and steel gray, with a criss-crossing X over their chests. Each wore rank insignia on their collars, little bronze symbols whose meanings I did not know. Two of the soldiers carried the long metal tubes I had observed before, balanced in a harness on their backs, tongues wrapped around little curved pieces of steel hanging down along one side of the tubes, triggers perhaps. Another wielded in her mouth a much smaller, more stubby affair, with a long barrel affixed to a boxy little wooden stock, in the middle of which was a hexagonal cylinder. _These must be firearms, _I mused. _But why carry them? What happened to Ponyville? _

The fourth soldier, an officer judging by his golden eagle rank insignia, stepped up to us and gazed with cold, emotionless eyes. "Evenin'," he greeted in a low baritone. "Bit late ta drop in on the town, isn't it?"

I put on what I hoped was a disarming smile. "Yes, well, my little brother and I," I dipped a hoof at Spike as I spoke, "have been travelling all day."

Eagle wearer's brow creased. "Is that so? Where from? We saw ya come out of the Everfree."

Sweat beaded on my face. "We were exploring a ruin. It's deep in the forest, I don't know if you've heard of it."

"I have, actually," he said, "though I can't rightly figure out why you'd want to go lookin' at the place."

"Well, we're historians, from Hoofington. Twilight Sparkle, by the way," I said, offering out a hoof politely to shake, which the officer just stared at. "This is Dusk."

"Hiya!" said Spike a bit too loudly, making me wince.

Eagle wearer harrumphed. "Charmed. Listen, Miss Sparkle, we've had some scouts report possible sightings of a Unicorn in the Everfree, so we're going to have to search you, make sure you're not one of those horny curse casters tryin' ta get past us." His eyes narrowed. "I trust that won't be a problem?" His tone bespoke of terrible things that might befall us if we refused.

My grin became strained. "Oh, of course, I understand! Go right ahead."

"Lieutenant!" the officer barked, causing the mare to drop her weapon where it hung around her neck on a chain. "Get to it."

"Yessir, Cap'n!" The Lieutenant trotted over and ripped my saddlebags away without so much as a warning, spilling the contents everywhere. Books and papers, quills, pencils...and the Dreamstone Rod clattered to the ground. The gem twinkled in the lantern light.

Leaning over to snatch it up in his mouth, the Captain spat the Rod onto his hoof and held it up to me. "Well now," he snarled, "just what is this?"

Blanching, I blurted out the first thing that came to mind. "It's a family heirloom! Very special to us. Gem's colored glass."

"Please don't break it!" Spike added.

The Captain peered down at the offending object. "Really. Then you won't mind us poking at it with our detector. Lieutenant!"

The mare looked up from her emptying of my bags and frowned. "Sorry, sir, but mine broke last week, and Private Petal's broke less than an hour ago."

Snorting, the Captain dropped the Rod. "I thought, Lieutenant, that I'd ordered you to get that thing replaced!"

"I've put in the requisition, but sir, it takes forever to get more of those churned out from Manehatten."

Spike and I exchanged a relieved look. "I'm sorry if I caused a problem," I said. "I'll keep it in my bag at all times when I'm in town, I promise."

"Well, I've half a mind to confiscate it," the Captain replied, "but knowing the incompetence of this bunch of idiots, it'd probably just get lost. Lieutenant, is there any contraband in that junk?"

"No sir, just a buncha books I can't read."

The Captain harrumphed again. "Then put all that stuff back into Miss Sparkle's bags. _Neatly _this time. And as for you," he added, turning to me, "I've got one last check to make. If you'll submit your foreheads..."

I blinked. "Excuse me? I'm not sure I understand."

"Your foreheads. _Now._"

Shrugging, I knelt forward a little, as did Spike. With an almost apologetic look, the Captain ran a hoof through my forelock, feeling around it. I felt a tinge of revulsion. _Oh...he's looking for a hidden horn, _I thought, shrugging off a sudden instinct to kick the officer right in the muzzle.

The Captain spent another moment searching Spike's head, then said, "All right, you're clean. Sorry about that, Miss Sparkle, but ya can't be too careful. Even if I don't think a Unicorn would be so dumb as ta walk right up to the town gates after almost bein' caught."

I stifled the nervous laugh that almost spilled out of my mouth. "I understand. Gotta be safe."

"Here's your bags," the Lieutenant said, placing the bags rather roughly onto my back. I poked my head in them real quick to make sure nothing was left out.

"Keep that heirloom of yours stuffed in your bag, like ya promised," the Captain ordered. "I don't want ta hear about anypony freakin' out over it." He turned to the gate behind him. "Hey! Open up!"

With a loud clank and the whirring of gears, the portcullis withdrew into the inside of the gate's structure.

"There ya go," the Captain said. "Curfew's at midnight, so make sure your flank is in an inn by then, or else we might have ta haul you in for the night and you don't want that. Any questions?"

"One, actually." I flashed the Captain a hopeful grin. "Is there a library in town?"

"Yep. I think it's open till ten, so if ya hurry ya might get ta it before closin'. It's near the center of town, built into some big fancy tree." He made a disgusted face. "Personally I think we shoulda burnt that piece of Unicorn trash when we took the town back in '86, but nopony ever listens ta me."

"Well thank you, Captain..."

"Fields, Miss Sparkle. Captain Spring Fields."

I nodded graciously, though inside I felt rather sick. "Thank you, Captain Fields. You've been very helpful." _In more ways than one. _

He nodded, showing respect towards me for the first time. "Of course. You two be safe now. Stay outta any dark allies." He waved us on in.

As Spike and I trotted into town, I watched for any differences. I spotted plenty, thanks to the gas lamps along the streets. Aside from the general rearrangement of buildings, houses in different places, some businesses missing, others completely different altogether, I noticed a distinct tension in the air. The fact that the few ponies I spotted moving around at this time of the night other than Spike and myself were soldiers probably contributed to that atmosphere.

"Dusk?" Spike inquired once we were out of earshot of any nearby soldiers.

I shrugged. "Sounds more like a pony name than Spike, right?"

"If you say so."

I blinked down at him as we passed by where the Carousel Boutique should have been. In its place stood a featureless stone building. "Spike, you heard everything the Captain said, right?"

Spike nodded, though he wasn't really paying attention. "Yeah, what about it?"

I elbowed him. "Listen, Spike. Fields said they 'took the town.' That implies a war, or at least some kind of battle." I still couldn't believe what I was saying. Ponies fighting wars? They did that in history books, not nowadays! _At least not in the nowadays I'm used to, _I thought glumly.

The colt's eye's popped and he focused on me. "Why the heck would they do that?"

"I don't know. But that's not all he said Spike. He said the Library's tree was made by Unicorn magic."

We passed a humble bakery, far tamer than Sugarcube Corner. "But isn't that how the tree was made anyway?"

"Spike, that's not the point. The point is that Unicorns had a hoof in making it. Which means at some point Unicorns lived here. Which means they took the town from Unicorns!"

Spike halted. Gesturing with a hoof, he said, "I don't understand. What are you trying to say?"

"I heard the year Fields mentioned too. '86. I'm not sure, but he might've meant 1486. And if he did, Spike, that means we didn't time travel after all."

The colt snorted. "That's what I told you."

I groaned in frustration. "No, Spike, you're not getting it. If we didn't time travel, then why is everything different?"

Spike scoffed. "You mean the others did, and they changed history or something?"

The library was just up ahead, looking painfully identical to the one we'd left this morning, right up to the telescope on the upper balcony. "Yes, that's exactly what I mean. And I'll bet you anything we'll find proof in there."

I trotted up to the door and knocked twice, politely. The upper half of the door swung open, and out popped the head of a strangely familiar looking mare, with a light azure coat, and a mane of grey mixed with a stripe of light cyan, mostly hidden beneath the brown leather cloak and hood she wore about herself. "Yes?" she asked. "Can I help you?"

"Um, hi. Is the library still open?" I smiled. "We kinda wanted to look at some history books, if that's okay."

She pursed her muzzle. "Hmm...I usually don't get visitors this late, but...oh why not. Come on in." The rest of the door opened invitingly.

Stepping in, I took in the atmosphere of the library that was not my library. My heart ached as I breathed in the musty smell of the books, so like and yet not like my home. The decorations were different, for one, with little paintings and framed portraits of various ponies hanging everywhere, off shelves, off the walls, even on the door itself.

Behind me I heard Spike sneeze, along with a little meow.

"Oh, don't mind Shiner," the library mare said. "He's a bit too playful sometimes." The cat in question bounced away from Spike and darted behind a shelf.

"So what sort of history were you wanting to look into?" asked the library mare, removing her hood.

I stuttered a bit, too shocked to answer. Spike spoke up for me. "You're a Unicorn!"

The mare's friendly expression instantly flashed into a sneer. "Yes, and what about it? I have papers! I've been living here in Uni—excuse me, _Ponyville, _all my life."

I shoved Spike. "Excuse my rude little brother," I said. "We were just surprised. We're not from around here and we didn't think any Unicorns lived in town."

The sneer vanished from her face. "Of course...I don't blame you. There aren't that many. We've been driven out by you Earth Ponies. No offense."

"None taken," I said dryly. I held out a hoof in a friendly manner. "I'm Twilight. What's your name?"

She hesitated, and then reluctantly took my hoof and shook it. "Trixie."

Spike gasped, but before he could say anything I shoved my right rear hoof into his mouth. "N-nice to meet you, Trixie." _No wonder you look so familiar. Please don't start boasting about your magic..._

Trixie inclined an eyebrow. "Likewise. And you, little colt?"

I removed my hoof from Spike's mouth so he could answer. "I'm Sp—err, Dusk," he grumbled sullenly as he trotted over to a nearby bookshelf and plopped down, facing away from us both.

A ghost of a smile appeared on her lips. "Pleased to meet you," she said. She turned back to me. "Now, as I was saying...the history you want to look into?"

I thought for a moment. "How about the general history of Equestria?"

The ghost materialized into a full smile. "Oh, looking back that far, are we?" She moved off to fetch a book.

I blinked. "Far?"

"Well, yes, I mean, Equestria did collapse over a millennia ago, after all."

It took every last bit of effort I had not to shout _WHAT? _I settled for a few light gasps. "That's right," I managed to choke out after a few uncomfortable moments. "I've just been, err...reading up on history before Equestria so much lately."

Trixie's smile warmed. "I can understand that. It's so fun to bury yourself into tales about Destriacus and old Canterlot, all before...well, never mind." She floated a book over to a nearby table and gestured for me to join her.

I peered down at the thick tome. "The Rise and Fall of Equestria," I read. Shivers ran down my spine. "From 100 B.E. to 475 Y.E..."

"That's the old calendar, you understand," Trixie said. "Funny how we still use the numbers today, even if we don't call it Year of Equestria."

I glanced about at nearby walls, looking for a calendar. There, hanging next to a nearby bookshelf, I read the date: June 1st, 1501. "Yeah, funny," I murmured.

"Would you care for some tea?" asked the library mare all of a sudden.

"Um, sure please, thanks." Trixie nodded and waltzed off to the kitchen, humming a little tune.

Flipping open the cover of the book with my hoof, I began to scour its contents. "Spike!" I whispered. "Get over here."

Spike let out a mighty yawn and plodded over. "I'm here, I'm here. What?"

"Look at this." I pointed at the page. Together, we read a brief chapter summary from the end of the book:

_Though the nation of Equestria had suffered many trials and hardships in its history, none were so bad as the war with the mighty Discord. Whence he came from, nopony alive knows, though much speculation abounds. What is known is that he split the forces of Equestria in twain, seizing the crown of Emperor from the late King Umber of Hoofington. Equestria dissolved into a civil war, half led by Discord, the other half led by unknown individuals, though some accord the mythical Alicorn Sisters the role, a position thoroughly rejected by most academics as patently ridiculous. The war raged for many years, from approximately 467 Y.E. til 475 Y.E., at which point in the summer of that year, one final battle saw Discord himself slain by powerful sorcery. Despite his death, the chaos wrought had done its damage, and without anypony strong enough as a leader to step up to the role of Emperor, the fragile union collapsed. Equestria had lasted for almost five hundred years, but never again would the pony nation-states ever unite as they had under the Equestrian banner._

My eyes misted and then welled up. I let the tears flow, sobbing quietly. Spike stood silent beside me. "Y-you s-see?" I said through my sorrow after a few moments. "History c-changed."

Spike trembled. "I'm sorry I doubted you, Twilight."

I slammed the book shut. "We have to fix this!" I declared. "I'm not sure how, but we have to!"

"But, Twilight, the portal maker thingie back at the castle, it's—"

"It's broken, I know!" I huffed a sigh. "We still have the Rod. It's connected to all this, somehow. Maybe we can use it." _Even though I tried doing dozens of things to it earlier to no avail, I won't give up! _

"Is something wrong?" asked the library mare, whisking her way back into the main room of the library, three steaming cups of tea floating near her head.

I resisted the urge to lay into her. "I'm sorry to be rude," I said, "but S—Dusk and I really need to go. It's late and there's something we have to do."

Trixie pouted. "Oh, that's...that's too bad. It's been ages since I've had real company."

Though I felt a tinge of regret, I pressed on. "I really am sorry." I clopped my hooves together. "Actually, do you mind if we borrow this book? We'll return it in the morning."

She nodded gracefully. "Go right ahead."

I smiled gratefully. "Thank you, Trixie." Snatching up the book, I stuffed it into my saddlebags.

Spike and I trotted over to the door. "You two be careful now," Trixie said, waving goodbye.

"We will. Thanks again!"

"Now what?" Spike asked once we were outside.

An evening breeze drifted by, making me shiver from the cold. "To the park," I ordered, marching off across the street.

"Why the park?"

I grimaced. "Because it's quiet there and I can think."

We entered the park and paused at its center, where I flopped down beneath a nearby tree, enjoying the cool scratchiness of the grass on my skin. The moon cast an eerie glow, giving us just enough light to see by. It hit me, right then, just how tired I was, not to mention starving. I had been running on adrenalin, the small breakfast and smaller lunch I'd had, and everything I'd gone through caught up with me in one swift moment. I almost fell asleep.

Almost, that is, were it not for the sudden surge of pain and light from within and around me. _Oh no! _I thought. _This is too soon! I should've had another couple of hours! _

Maybe I would have, had it not been for what I'd already gone through that day. But it was too late. In a flash, Spike and I returned to our normal selves.

Spike hopped up and down, grabbing a hold of my fur. "What do we do now?" he whispered.

My eyes darted around, searching for somepony, anypony nearby. I spotted a lone guard, but he wasn't looking our way. For now. "Stay quiet," I ordered. "I'll think of something."

I pondered ideas of how we might escape. I could teleport us, of course, but I couldn't get us far enough, not from the park, especially not with how exhausted I was. With our luck we'd end up right in the middle of the soldier's barracks.

"Twilight!" Spike interrupted, tugging at my foreleg.

I hissed. "What?"

"Look." He reached into my bag and withdrew the Dreamstone Rod.

The gem glowed from deep within, its rainbow shine flashing brightly. "What in the heck?" I muttered. "Why's it doing that now?"

I took a hold of the Rod with my magic and probed it gently with a Sensing Spell. A loud, familiar hum filled the air as a vortex manifested. I braced myself, but it wasn't necessary. Unlike the previous portal, this one didn't try to suck us in. It just hovered in place, its gaping maw beckoning. _What...was this here? This whole time? But..._

"Woah," Spike said, gaping at the portal's swirling colors. "Twilight, why—"

"HEY!" A shout emerged from far away, over in the street. I whirled and saw several soldiers aiming their weapons at us. "Stop what you're doing! Now!"

I cursed. "Spike, this way! Let's go!" I said, gesturing at the portal.

"What? But we don't know where it goes!"

I heard more than felt something whiz through the air, impacting the tree with a _pock_, just as a loud crack echoed from near the soldiers. "We don't have a choice! Run!" I snatched Spike up by his ruffle of spines and leapt into the portal. It filled my whole being with its presence, swallowing us up. I could only hope that when it spat us out, we would be somewhere safe.

* * *

><p>Author's Note: As before, I would like to thank Cascade Failure and Rainbow Sparkle both for pre-reading. Without their help these chapters would be of lesser quality.<p> 


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